The Kansas City Chiefs under quarterback Patrick Mahomes has emerged as a superpower in NFL but a study shows that it’s tainted. Over the past few years, voices have grown that Mahomes seems to have been favored a lot by the officials during his run to five Super Bowl appearances, winning three of them.
Now a study from the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP), led by Spencer Barnes, Ph.D., claims that NFL officials have, over time, ruled in favor of the Chiefs in critical moments, especially in the postseason. Before writing his findings, Barnes examined more than 13,000 defensive penalty calls between 2015 and 2023.
KTSM 9 News shared the development on internet with the following caption:
“Research done by UTEP presents evidence that the Chiefs have benefited from slanted officiating from 2015 to 2023, a time that coincided with their rise as one of the NFL’s most marketable franchises.”
Research done by UTEP presents evidence that the Chiefs have benefited from slanted officiating from 2015 to 2023, a time that coincided with their rise as one of the NFL’s most marketable franchises.
MORE: https://t.co/Jx6re3oS7V pic.twitter.com/SvXck7EQeL
— KTSM 9 News (@KTSMtv) October 13, 2025
Fans started to react to this, with some throwing shade at the Chiefs dynasty, while some found the report petty.
“Rigged,” one fan commented.
“Makes sense…in 2015, the NFL decided they needed to make Alex Smith and the Kansas City Chiefs into a dynasty bc of the massive KC television market,” one fan wrote.
“Cry more,” a fan said.
“btw there’s no link to the study and no discussion of the data anywhere in this article,” one fan posted.
“This line might be the most laughable thing ever said about NFL officiating ALL of the dynasties get the benefit of the doubt from the officiating in varying ways (And that fact isn’t limited to football) If you can’t admit that, you just have an agenda disguised as a “study”,” one fan noted.
This line might be the most laughable thing ever said about NFL officiating
ALL of the dynasties get the benefit of the doubt from the officiating in varying ways
(And that fact isn’t limited to football)
If you can’t admit that, you just have an agenda disguised as a “study” pic.twitter.com/lcOlnL94lQ
— Bad Sports Refs (@BadSportsRefs) October 13, 2025
“Lmfao so we know this study is bulls*it because the chiefs did f*ck all before 2018 arguably didn’t do anything until 2020,” another fan added.
“Clickbait without the actual evidence? No way,” one fan wrote.
Chiefs Are The Only Dynasty Found To Be In Middle Of Officiating Controversey: Study
The study showed that the Chiefs enjoy favorable ruling in terms of convert to first downs and yield more yardage. Moreover, it said that similar patterns were not detected for other dynasties such as the New England Patriots in the Tom Brady-Bill Belichick era.
The report in part blamed the league for being an hindrance in neutral officiating since it is aiming for success from top market teams.
“Our findings suggest that when the league’s financial health is at stake, rule enforcement may subtly shift to protect market appeal,” Spencer Barnes Ph.D. said in his study.
“The fact that postseason penalties consistently favored one franchise, while similar dynasties showed no such pattern, points to the powerful role of financial incentives in shaping supposedly neutral decisions.”
It remains to be seen if the study is followed by corroborating numbers which would help football fans to make up their own mind regarding the officiating controversy.
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